Better To Be Hated
by StormyNight55
Summary: Luke, Bo, and Gill's eventful summer has passed, and tranquility has returned to Waffle Island. However, if the three of them have learned anything from the past summer, it is that tranquility can't last forever. Sequel to 'Faded Tranquility'.
1. New Beginnings

To start! I know I put up that new poll, and that people didn't even vote for this, but I can't attempt a 'Distorted Reality' sequel just yet. I need to get the right plot going, you know...? Plus, this was gathering dust in my computer.

As you'll be able to see a few seconds from now, as you read the first sentence, this fic will be not be...nice. There will be a lot more swearing than in 'Faded Tranquility', there will be violence as always, and there will be homophobia, all of which are not a pleasant combo. So...take that, and read on, if you wish.

By the way - if you haven't read 'Faded Tranquility', you _can _understand this story...but you're not going to understand why Gill is such good friends with Luke and Bo, or how Luke and Bo got together, _or _why the Mother Tree sometimes pops up strangely in conversations or why the past summer is sometimes a forbidden topic. If you would like to ignore those facts and read on, do so. If you've already read FT, then you're set and really didn't have to read this part. Onward!

**Warnings; for this chapter? Swearing, and...not much else. The starts of stories are never too bad. Disclaimer; I own nothing HM related.**

* * *

"Who the fuck is that? I got this one, get_ her!"_

Luke managed to raise his headed and spotted, through double-vision, a blue dress. A blue dress and short, brown hair...familiar, he _should _know this person, yet his mind could not bring itself together long enough for him to grasp a name...

The girl screamed again, and the other two men neared her quickly. She turned and ran, and Luke's vision began to darken...

---

_Better to be hated for who you are, than loved for who you are not._

"Okay, okay...how about now?"

"No, you did it wrong. Again."

"Well, if you would kindly _explain _how this goes -"

"Luke, I've explained it at least five times. If you would just move over and let me handle this -"

"No! I got it, just let me figure this out."

Gill placed a hand on his forehead. At this rate, nothing was going to get done. The Thanksgiving Festival was tomorrow, and Bo and Luke had insisted on baking a cake. Tradition had it that you were supposed to give your 'sweetheart' something sweet, usually cake. Luke and Bo had ignored Gill as he had explained that he had no sweetheart, dragging him into the plan anyway. They had ignored him further when he had rationalized that Luke and Bo were wasting their time in making cake not only for that reason, but for the reason that they would only be giving it to each other.

"Okay, so the flour now...?"

"You didn't add the flour yet?"

"...No."

"You were supposed to do that already!"

Gill sighed. Bo knew exactly how to make a cake, but teaching Luke the arts of baking was proving to be a challenge. Gill was fairly certain that Luke had already pushed this cake past the point of no return, and not even Bo's culinary experience could bring it back to the realm of decency.

"You should have just let me do this."

"Indeed you should have," Gill spoke up from his seat at the table. "At this rate, one bite of that cake will probably poison us."

"Jee, thanks," Luke rolled his eyes. "Everybody's a critic."

"Well, I guess there's still hope for it," Bo said. "Let me see what I can do."

"Well, I can tell when I'm not needed," Luke took a seat across from Gill, leaving Bo at the counter to try and save their cake, "that, or when my skills aren't appreciated."

"You were spot on the first time."

"Shut up, Gill."

"Okay," Bo announced, placing the cake in the oven. "I've done all I can do. We'll give it ten minutes and see what happens."

"I say we make Luke try it first," Gill volunteered. "After all, it is his fault if it turns out a disaster."

"You know what _I _say?" Luke shot back. "That we make Gill give someone a piece of cake tomorrow and maybe, if we're lucky, he'll finally get a girlfriend and stop being such a -"

"Don't even start!" Gill retorted. "I've already made it clear that I'm not interested in letting you play as matchmaker!"

"Why? You think I wouldn't do a good job?"

"You'd be worse at it than you are at cooking!"

"Hey, hey!" Bo interjected, leaning against the counter. "Stop driving each other crazy. It's a festival day - or almost one, at least - which means it's time for fun. Gill, stop being so serious. Luke, stop being so annoying. Or I'm gonna give you both something to complain about."

Gill rolled his eyes. Sometimes he wondered why he talked to these two so much. They really had nothing in common - Gill was the intellectual type, Bo and Luke were much more physical. While Bo did have a considerably helpful head on his shoulders, they both couldn't help showing that they were experts at only their trade and things like it, things involving hard work and physical labor. Well, the exception being Bo and his cooking experience. Both of them were the laid-back kind, and didn't need to be working to feel like they were getting something done. Gill was the opposite - work-oriented. As the pair often pointed out, Gill's pride in his work and perfectionist attitude usually resulted in him coming off as arrogant and self-centered.

A heavy knock on the door roused Gill from his thoughts. Bo, who was already up, walked over to the door and opened it.

Dale was standing in the doorway, layered in jackets and covered in snow. As he stepped inside, the white fluff sprinkled to the floor, turning to water almost instantly. Quickly, Bo shut the door behind him, blocking the snowstorm's path. Gill sighed. Snow had come unusually early this year - normally, the Thanksgiving Festival was a time when leaves fell from the trees, the grass turned an autumn color, and chilly breezes swept in. It was as if nature had decided to skip over fall entirely and dive straight into winter.

"It's a disaster out there," Dale wheezed, shedding his jacket and boots. "I'm calling off work. If I can't stand it out there I won't expect you two to do it."

"Yeah!" Luke pumped his fist into the air.

"Don't get too excited," Dale warned. "I'll have you working overtime as soon as the snowstorm's over to make up for it."

Luke's fist fell.

"Do I have to work too?" Bo asked from his place at the door.

"Yes."

"But my hand!" Bo held it up frantically, trying to squeeze out of returning to work.

"Bo, you've been playing that card for days," Dale said, "Your hand is fine, you're working."

"Man," Bo slumped.

"Don't complain," Luke said, "You haven't worked in weeks, and _he's _been making me pick up your slack!"

"Don't worry, Bo will get his." Dale chuckled.

"This keeps getting worse," Bo sighed.

Gill chuckled, and heard a small beep from the oven. Bo hurried over to it and reached inside.

"Ow, ow, hot."

He tossed it onto the counter with a clang.

"You should have used a towel," Dale scolded, turning towards the sound. "You know that."

"Sorry, sir."

Gill often wondered why, after all the years that Dale had pretty much taken care of Bo, Bo still called him 'sir'. Perhaps it was just a habit now.

"How's it look?" Luke turned in his seat and leaned in.

"It's going to look the same no matter what," Bo explained. "I'm more concerned about how it smells."

"How is it?" Gill asked, and Bo, heeding Dale's words, grabbed a small dishrag and used it to pick up the tin, placing it on the table. Gill leaned in a bit to get a whiff. His nose wrinkled at the scent.

"Dreadful."

"Oh, come on," Luke said, "It can't be that bad." He leaned over and smelled the concoction himself.

"Okay...so maybe it's _kind of_ bad."

"Let's see how much you boys screwed up," Dale chuckled, grabbing a fork and sticking it into the fluffy cake, then bringing it back into his mouth.

"Dad!" Luke stared at the large hole in the cake and threw his hands into the air. "You ruined it!"

Dale shook his head and made a disgusted face. "Oh no, you boys got to that before I did."

"It wasn't me!" Bo declared. "I can cook!"

"Mhm," Dale agreed, tossing his gloves to the side. "Bo's right. It must be your fault, Luke."

Luke's hands fell back onto the table loudly. "Story of my life."

Gill laughed softly.

"Don't you laugh until you've tried a piece," Luke ordered.

"You must be crazy," Gill chuckled. "I refuse to put any of that into my mouth."

"Well I'm going to show you it's not so bad," Luke declared, grabbing a piece of his own with his fingers and shoving it into his mouth.

"We do have forks these days, " Gill commented with slight disgust.

"Wait, I have to try too," Bo said, reaching in with his fingers as well.

"No table manners," Gill said to himself. "No etiquette at all."

The two chewed in silence for a moment before swallowing. Dale chuckled as he passed Gill, heading into the back room.

"Okay, maybe I need to rethink my plan," Luke pulled a sour face. "But rest assured, I will fix this cake."

"Not likely," Bo said, looking similarly unsatisfied.

"Well, that's all the proof I need," Gill crossed his arms. "You've ruined it."

"It just needs some icing," Luke jumped up and turned, opening a cupboard. "Yeah, this is perfect." From it's depths he pulled a container of white icing, then turned quickly again and held a large knife.

"Put that away!" Gill ordered. He didn't trust Luke with an object like that.

"Why?" Luke said, "I wield an axe every day and have never hurt anybody before. It's just a little knife."

"'Little knife'?" Bo laughed. "Luke, you don't ice a cake with a steak knife!"

"Does it really matter?" He sighed, turning around and reappearing with a much smaller butter knife. "A knife's a knife. Jeez, baking is so technical..."

"All it is is following directions," Bo held a piece of paper, the recipe.

"See, that's why I'm no good at it," Luke commented, shoving the knife into the container and slopping a scoop of icing onto the cake.

"Just frost the side that we didn't eat off of yet," Bo instructed absently, cleaning up a few stray materials. "That's the side we'll hand out."

"You're still going to hand this out?" Gill asked. "It's hardly edible."

"I told you already," Luke said, lifting the knife and pointing it at Gill, who shifted backwards to avoid it's tip. "The icing will fix it."

The shrill sound of a phone ringing distracted them all from the cake. Luke dropped the knife onto the table and stood up to answer it.

"Hello?" He asked, a small silence following. "Oh, good morning, Mayor Hamilton."

Gill looked up. Perhaps his father was calling him to say he was needed back at home...?

"Oh, we do?" Luke asked. "Awesome! Can we meet her?"

Another silence.

"She is?" Luke asked skeptically. "Well, okay. We'll be down there soon." He hung up, then turned towards his two friends. "I guess there's someone new in town, down at the dock. Asking for me."

"Who?" Bo asked.

"I don't know," Luke admitted. "It's weird. Come on, we'll go find out."

"We're really going to trek down there in such weather?" Gill asked dismally.

"Yeah," Luke said, pulling on his boots. "Don't you want to know who it is?"

Gill sighed.

"I suppose," he stood up and grabbed his coat and scarf. "It's going to be horrible out there."

"You've got that right," Bo agreed. "But maybe this'll be important, and it'll be worth it."

_I doubt it, _Gill groaned mentally. Although, it was strange, someone arriving on the island and asking specifically for Luke, who had lived on the island for years now...

"Alright, here we go."

Luke opened the door, the wind stealing it from him and swinging it fully open. The three hurried out the door, closing it with some difficulty behind them. Thus began the journey to the dock.

_I hate cold, _Gill grumbled in his mind. The truth was, Gill didn't like much about the outdoors no matter what the weather. In the spring he complained of bugs, the summer of heat, the fall of the way that each year, without fail, he caught something and remained sick the entire season, and winter, of course, the bitter, numbing cold. This year, fall seemed to have lasted only a few weeks; winter had reared it's ugly head far before it was due.

Perhaps if he knew how to choose his friends better, he would being spending more time indoors than out. Luke and Bo worked outside all day, no matter what the weather, and though they never said no to a day off, they usually spent their work-free days outdoors anyway. For Gill, it was usually a matter of joining them or working pencil to paper all day at the Town Hall.

"We're almost there," Luke announced, though it was clear to see.

"This person isn't waiting at the dock _outside, _are they?" Gill asked hopelessly.

"No," Luke responded, and Gill's mood lifted a bit. "She'll be at On the Hook."

The three jogged up the steps to the building, and Bo opened the door quickly, sliding in. Luke and Gill followed closely, Gill shutting the door behind him.

"Hey, Captain Pascal," Bo greeted as Gill removed his scarf and Luke shook the snow from his boots, "Hey, Ozzie. How's it going?"

"Alright," Pascal shrugged.

"No business in this weather," Ozzie said.

"I heard someone new showed up today," Luke spoke up. "Somebody looking for me?"

"Oh yeah!" Pascal said, walking over and throwing his arm around Luke, motioning for Gill and Bo to come closer. "So, I was really tempted to tell your father first, Luke, but she really seemed to want to surprise you, so I called the mayor and told him to let you know someone was looking for you. Promise you won't get me in any trouble for this?"

"Nah," Luke chuckled, "Come on, Captain, you know I'm not a snitch. Just tell me."

"Alright," Pascal said, "Come on out, miss!"

When the woman stepped into the room, Gill immidiately caught sight of her eyes. No one had eyes that color, no one he had ever seen except for one person...

Luke.

* * *

Though I think it's obvious, maybe that's only because I know what's coming. Any guesses as to who this mysterious woman is?

Reviews are always welcome!


	2. A Secret and a Warning

So, my plan to place this sequel on the mental backburner has obviously gone through some reconsidering. Since my current fic ideas for Warriors are floating around aimlessly [I have plenty of plots spinning in my head but not enough inspiration to seriously work with them yet] I figured I would take a little break from sweating over that and work with this fic instead.

**Disclaimer; I own squat. **

* * *

Bo knew this woman. He recognized her immidiately, though he was quite sure that she had probably forgotten about him.

"Mom?" Luke asked quietly.

He _knew _it! Bo was right, but what was she doinghere? Luke's mom hadn't shown her face in years, and her last appearance had been only a few moments long before Dale had thrown her out.

_Dale._

Dale was going to be pissed. Bo could see his expression now, and he wasn't liking it.

"Luke," the woman smiled, embracing her son. Luke looked a little unsure when he returned it.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" He asked as his mother released him. Bo was still staring at the woman as if she was going to disappear. She didn't feel real to him, and he guessed Luke was having the same thoughts.

"I came to see you, honey," her smile widened. "I needed to see how my baby was doing."

Gill's hand tugged on his sleeve. Bo looked over and Gill motioned for him to lean in.

"Is that really Luke's mother?" He asked quietly.

"Yeah, I recognize her," Bo assured. "But I don't understand why she's here..."

"And who are these two young men?" She asked, honey-colored eyes staring at he and Gill. Bo was still trying to get used to seeing such eyes on someone other than Luke.

"That's Gill," Luke pointed, "and that's Bo. Remember him, Mom? You saw him a few times, I think."

_She only saw me once, Luke, you know that. _

"Hm," his mother thought. "He does seem familiar. Mhm, I remember him."

_No, you don't. You can't even bother to lie believably._

"Hello," Gill held out his hand to shake, and she took it. Her skin was almost the same pale as Gill's, unlike Luke, who had much tanner skin.

_I hope she doesn't expect me to offer my hand, _Bo thought. _This isn't the time for you to act like a gentlemen, Gill!_

Bo's hopes went unfulfilled, because the woman turned to him and extended a hand. He had no option but to shake it.

"I take it you've moved out?" She asked him. Bo felt strangely defensive.

"No, I still live with Luke and Dale," he corrected.

"Oh," she took her hand back. "You boys still live with Dale?"

"Yeah," Bo answered.

"Really?" She frowned a little. "How old are you, Luke?"

Luke's face fell a little, "I'm nineteen, Mom."

"Well, that's just the age to move out," she announced, "I could help you pick out a house and everything."

"No, I can't," Luke hurried. "See, me and Bo work with Dad. You know, carpentry and stuff." Luke seemed to suddenly get an idea. "Maybe I could show you some of the stuff we do."

"Oh, I don't know, honey," she said gently. "We'll have to see."

_So this is it, _Bo predicted. _She's shown up, gotten his hopes up, and now she's going to leave._

"You know, Mom," Luke seemed to see it coming too, "you could stay at the Sundae Inn. It's a really nice place."

"An inn?" She questioned. "Hm...why don't you show me, honey?"

"Okay," Luke agreed, and Bo could tell he was getting excited. "Where's your stuff?"

As the two left for the other room to gather her things, Gill pulled on Bo again.

"What the hell?" He asked quietly, so Pascal and Ozzie wouldn't hear as they rummaged behind the counter.

"I'm glad someone's getting the same vibes I am," he said. "She's going to take off, I can tell. It's what she does."

"So, she's a deadbeat?"

"Basically."

"Usually fathers are the deadbeats."

"Not in this case."

"Hey, guys!" Luke called. "Can you take these?"

Luke put a suitcase in front of each of them, and seemed to read their less than thrilled expressions instantly.

"Come on, please?" He begged quietly. "Guys, I haven't seen my mom in forever! I'm trying to get her to stay and it's working, so just play along, will you?"

"Luke, have you even thought about this at all?" Bo asked, grabbing the suitcase reluctantly. "There's no way Dale's going to be happy about this."

"I know, so I'm not gonna tell him," Luke said. "He's the one who always makes her leave, so I -"

"You think that it's _his _fault she never comes to see you?" Bo gaped. "Luke, that's -!"

"Great Goddess!" Gill burst, frustrated. Luke and Bo stopped and stared at him, and he looked over. "Oh, sorry. This suitcase is ridiculously heavy, that's all."

Bo opened his mouth to speak when Luke's mother returned, donning a coat and purse this time. Luke opened the door for her and then picked up a suitcase in either hand. Gill and Bo followed much less enthusiastically some feet behind the pair.

"I see she's not carrying any of her own luggage," Gill grumbled darkly as he struggled to carry the weight of the suitcase, "Lazy, inconsiderate..."

"How about that she hasn't visited Luke in almost five years and thinks it's okay to just pop up again!" Bo whispered exasperatedly.

"I bet she's filled the thing with rocks..."

"And that Luke accepts her back with no problem? You can't just abandon your own kid like that and then show up again, get his hopes up, and leave! That's what's going to happen, I know it."

"I bet she planned this all out, 'oh, I hope he has a friend who doesn't wield an axe! We'll give him the excruciatingly heavy suitcase filled with useless -'"

"Can you stop with the suitcase for a minute?" Bo demanded, and Gill muttered an apology. "I'm trying to think. Dale has to know, because then he can deal with her, but I can't tell him because then Luke will say it's _my _fault that his mom left..."

"Well, Dale is bound to find out eventually," Gill pointed out, "We don't live in a big city, Bo. Things get around. By tomorrow everyone's going to know there's a visitor at the Sundae Inn and somebody is bound to let it slip that it's Luke's mother."

Bo shrugged. He hoped Gill was right. If Dale knew about this, he could sort it out immidiately. Luke opened the door for his mother at the Sundae Inn, following her through. As soon as they were inside, Bo heard Gill drop the suitcase with a heavy thud.

"I am the future mayor," he grumbled quietly. "Not this woman's lackey."

"Hello there," Jake, the manager of the Sundae Inn, called from behind the counter. "Who's this with you, boys?"

"She's gonna be staying here for awhile, Jake," Luke explained, craftily avoiding the question.

"Well, step right up here, ma'am," Jake said, Luke's mother walking over to the counter and picking up a pen.

"Sign here, please," Jake gave her a piece of paper, "and here..."

"Luke," Bo whispered sharply, and his friend turned over his shoulder.

"What?"

"What are you thinking?" Bo asked.

"I'm thinking my mom's back and I want to see her!" He explained exasperatedly. "Come on, I know I can count on you guys to help me, right?"

Bo sighed. Gill rolled his eyes.

"As much as I don't like this," Gill began, "she is your mother, so..."

"You'll help me?"

"I suppose," he agreed.

"Bo?" Luke asked quietly, his mother finishing up papers and putting her purse back on her shoulder.

How the hell was he supposed to say no?

"I guess," he grumbled. "But I swear, Luke, if she does _anything -_"

"Thank you!" Luke said quietly, "I'll make it up to you, I promise."

Bo allowed a small smile to touch his lips before his sour look returned with Luke's mother. She was looking uncomfortable, glancing around as though searching for a route of escape. Bo spotted Chase and Kathy approaching, and they took each took a few of the woman's suitcases. Gill looked relieved to have the job done for him.

"Mom, why don't you go see your room?" Luke offered. "I'll be there in a sec."

"Oh, good idea, honey," she said, hurrying up the stairs after Kathy. Chase grabbed the last case and was about to head after them.

"Chase," Luke called, hooking the other with his arm around his neck in a friendly gesture.

"Yeah?" Chase asked a little impatiently. "I really do have to go, Luke, it's my job to take the -"

"Yeah, I know," he interupted. "But can you do me a huge, huge favor?"

"Oh no," Chase said, predicting something most likely strange and ridiculous. "What is it?"

"Okay, don't tell anyone," he pulled Chase over to Bo and Gill, forming a small square. His voice lowered to a whisper. "These two already know. That lady who came in with us, that's my mom."

"What?" Chase asked loudly, all three of them almost automatically shushing him.

"Don't tell anyone! I just need someone here to know so that it can be kept under wraps, okay?" Luke said. "I can't let my dad find out she's here, so can you kinda play down the fact that someone new is staying here? Like, don't let anyone make a big deal about it, okay?"

"I...well, I'll try," Chase agreed, voice a little uncertain, "I don't know how well it'll work, but I'll try."

"Thanks, Chase," Luke said, letting the waiter go. "You're the best."

As Bo watched Chase walk away, he had an ominous feeling seeping over him. Luke couldn't keep this under wraps forever. Hiding things from Dale wasn't easy, as he and Luke had learned none too long ago themselves. However, as Luke turned to head up the stairs after Chase, Bo couldn't help but think that, even after all they had been through the past summer, Luke hadn't learned a single thing.

---

Chase picked up the platter and carried it over to one of his tables. Across the restaurant, Kathy was serving a few of her own customers, and behind the counter she was leaning on, Maya was waiting anxiously for Chase to return from serving tables.

_Why won't she just go away? _Chase sighed to himself.

"Enjoy," he said absently, mind stuck on other things. He headed towards the counter and set the platter down on it.

"Morning, Chase!" Maya greeted cheerily. Chase forced a less cheery smile in return. He had really had enough of Maya - she was still trying to get him to accept that cake she had made for him for the Thanksgiving Festival, but he insisted he would 'feel bad', and, 'couldn't take it without making something in return'. The truth was, he just didn't want it.

"Don't you have tables to serve, Maya?" He asked.

"Nope, not yet," She answered, still beaming. "Looks like I'll have the morning off!"

_Only because you're a horrible cook, h_e thought to himself, _waitressing is all you can do here._

"Chase," Jake called from his place just around the counter, and Chase hurried over.

"Yes, sir?"

"Can you take this to that new guest we have upstairs?" He asked. "She ordered it, but she hasn't been back down to get it."

"Maybe she forgot," he said, grabbing the plate, "I'll take it right away."

Chase hurried past Maya and up the stairs. Free from her for now, he slowed down.

_Luke's mom sure is weird, _Chase thought. It had been two days since she had began staying here, and he had quieted the talk as much as he could. So far it had worked well, people knew a woman was here but not who she was, and he had insisted she was leaving soon, so there was no reason to treat her like a permanent resident. She had so far ordered every meal, but only retrieved one of them herself. He even had to personally retrieve the money from her, because she never came down to the restaurant to pay.

_I never even noticed before, _Chase contemplated as he knocked. _For as long as I've been on this island, Luke's mother has never once shown up. _

The door opened up, and Chase greeted the woman. She gave a rushed reply, taking the plate of food and retreating into her room without so much as a tip. She didn't even take the bill.

_Well it looks like I'll be back again soon enough._

Chase sighed. "I really shouldn't be doing this for you, Luke..."

"What's that?"

Chase jumped at the sudden voice. Looking down the hall, he noticed for the first time that Selena was standing nearby, wearing a curious expression.

"Oh, nothing," he assured.

"It sounded like something," she insisted, moving closer. "I've been curious about this woman, Chase - do you know her somehow?"

"No," he said, "I just know that she's a customer, and that's all I need to."

"Hm," her hands fell to her hips. "You're not just a single-minded waiter, Chase, or so I've been thinking. You've got to be just as curious as I am."

"I'm not concerned with why she's here."

"Because you already know?" Selena inquired, crossing her arms. "I heard something about Luke, now didn't I? Those fisherman down at the dock have been talking about this woman too, and if there's some big secret floating around -"

She had no idea how right she was.

" - then I want to know about it."

"I wouldn't know," Chase insisted, keeping up the act.

"I think you do," Selena shot back, and Chase could see that her short fuse was lit. "Now are you going to tell me or am I going to have to find out some other way?"

"If you find anything out, I'd appreciate you telling me," Chase said. "It'd be nice to know."

Selena huffed and he turned away, heading down the stairs.

"I've asked nicely, Chase," she warned, "this was not the answer I wanted."

* * *

Yes, I've made Selena a bitch. What else did you expect me to do with her? Surprisingly, I actually like her as a character. As you should assume, this isn't the last we've seen of her, either.


	3. To Control a Gossip

**Disclaimer; Same, I own nothing. Warnings; Same, swearing. We haven't got to the violence part yet.**

* * *

Gill tapped his pencil on the counter. Work was going by impossibly slow - his patience was thinning. He wanted to get out and find out how Luke's secret was going. He planned on stopping by the Sundae Inn after work, having a drink and listening in on conversations. It was an effective method for picking up the latest news.

"Here you go, Gill."

Gill looked up. Elli was standing beside him, placing a few more large books on top of his pile.

"Sorry," she apologized, and it took a moment for Gill to figure out why. He was already behind, and she had just pushed him farther down that road.

"It's alright," he sighed. "Not your fault."

"Do you need anything?" Elli asked kindly, returning to her station a few feet over. "You seem off today. Are you getting sick?"

"No, I'm fine," he insisted. "I'm just...not focused today."

"I can help you, if you want."

Gill looked at her, then back at the pile.

"Do you know how?"

"You just tally the profits, right?" She asked, scooting close enough to take a book from the pile.

"Exactly," he said. "Keep a table and show me once you've finished."

Gill got started on his own, pencil scribbling on paper for a good ten minutes before Elli broke his concentration.

"I'm finished," she announced. Gill was a little unsure. Usually it took him around fifteen minutes to finish an entire profit log like these. He took the papers from her and scanned them.

"Did I do alright?"

Gill looked them over scrutinizing. At long last, he spoke.

"Keep that up," he handed them back to her, impressed, "and we'll be getting out of here early today."

Elli beamed.

---

"Does your father know I'm here yet?"

"No," Luke answered. "I haven't told him."

His mother smiled faintly.

"Good," she replied. "He wouldn't be happy."

"I'm not going to tell him," he assured her.

"That's my boy," she laughed softly, and Luke smiled at the sound.

"So, what have you been up to here, Luke?" She asked. Luke contemplated how to answer that, biding time by examining the room she was staying in. He sure wasn't going to tell her about everything that had started that summer, the Mother Tree and all that had occurred. Which reminded him, he and Bo would need to stop by the Mother Tree's base soon, and work on the roof that would gaurd it's roots from the harsh winter. They were almost finished with it, but the severity of the snowstorm that had occured had held them back.

"Luke?"

"Oh, sorry," he answered. "Just working with Dad and Bo, really," he shrugged. "I don't do much."

"You don't have a job?" She asked.

"I'm a carpenter," he answered. "Well, you know, training to be one. My work with Dad is my job."

"Who was that other boy with you?" She asked. "Not Bo, but..."

"Gill," he filled it in for her.

"Yes, how'd you meet him?"

Luke was definitely not going to tell his mother how he had really gotten to know Gill. She didn't need to know what had happened that summer.

"I don't know, he's always lived here," he answered vaguely, "we've always hung out."

That was a lie, of course, and probably the most vague lie he had ever told.

"How about everyone else?" She asked. "Anybody in particular you don't like?"

"Not really," he shrugged, and it was true. No one in particular came to mind.

"How about the girls?" She asked, and Luke felt some sort of awkward mom-question coming on. Not that he was familiar with those. "Do you have a girlfriend? Anyone here that you like?"

"No," he hurried to answer, "I don't. There isn't."

"Mm, pretty quick to answer, I see," she replied, and Luke got the impression that she was trying to joke with him. She laughed. "I have a feeling there _is _somebody."

"There isn't," he repeated, getting uneasy. His mom was treading into off-limits territory and she didn't even know it.

"Oh, alright," she chuckled sarcastically.

"I'm serious."

"I know, honey," she assured him, but he knew she was not convinced. He decided to drop the topic before he sounded too desperate to convince her, which was only going to make him sound more suspicious. There was a silence during which Luke examined the blankets of the bed they were seated on, and for once he found himself with nothing better to do than examine little details, like the gold trimming on the sheets.

"Well, I didn't mean to make everything all awkward," she laughed, "I believe you, sweetie."

"I know," he answered, though it was a lie. He was silent not because of that, but because he realized he had just hit a major snag in his plan. If he was going to keep his mom here, he was not only going to have to eventually tell everyone that she was here, including his dad, but he was going to have to be honest about what had been his biggest secret of all.

_---_

Chase placed another platter onto one of his tables. The restaurant was busy today, and he was having trouble keeping up with orders. Hurrying back to the counter and grabbing another set of orders, he overheard a small piece of conversation at the bar.

"Heard about that new woman staying here?"

Chase stopped for a moment, listening in. It was Toby speaking, Renee sitting beside him and the both of them facing Jake, who was listening as well.

"Of course," Jake laughed in reply.

"Well, yeah," Toby replied, chuckling. "I meant Renee."

"Who is she?" The girl asked.

"I heard Luke knows her," Toby answered, "that he comes here all the time to see her."

Chase froze.

"Really?" Jake asked. "He was with her when she signed up for a room here, but he didn't seem to know her. Bo and Gill were with him, but I thought they were just being helpful."

"Nope," Toby said, "you know, I'm not usually a gossip, but this caught my interest. I heard Pascal and Ozzie say something about her being related to someone on the island. Didn't think anything of it until Selena told me Luke knows her."

Selena.

Chase dropped his platter. Luckily, it was only a few inches from the bar counter, so nothing spilled. Jake looked back at him, scrutinizing.

"Sorry, sir," he apologized. "Just a little overworked. Can I take a quick break?"

"Make it quick," Jake agreed, shooing Chase away with a hand motion. He headed for the door, and picked up speed once he was outside. He knew exactly where to find Selena at this time in the evening. Usually, she was near the bar, dancing for customers. Chase thought it was the kind of behavior the Sundae Inn didn't need, but Jake let her keep at it, seeing as those tips were the only way she paid for her room. On nights when she wasn't, though, she frequented the dock, talking it up with the fishermen.

"Selena!" He called, nearing her place at the end of the dock. Luckily for him, she was alone.

"Oh, Chase," she smirked devilishly. "How nice to see you."

"What have you been telling people?" He demanded.

"About what?"

"About Lu - the new visitor!" He caught himself quickly, but it was too late. Selena had caught it.

"Oh, so she _does _know Luke," Selena smiled. "Care to tell me how?"

"No, I don't, actually," he retorted. "Are you going to tell me what rumors you've been spreading or no?"

"Hm, let me think," Selena touched her lip with her forefinger innocently, batting her eyes. "I do seem to remember saying _something _about her to Toby...and Owen...and -"

"How many people did you tell?" Chase asked.

"I don't know," she snapped, hands suddenly on her hips, "and I don't think you're in the position to demand anything from me. You seem to want to keep this under wraps, now don't you? How about we make a little deal?"

"Like what?" He asked, unsatisfied.

"You tell me just how Luke knows this woman, and my lips," she held her hand in front of her face and made the motion as she spoke, "are sealed."

"Okay," Chase agreed, "but you can't tell anyone, alright?"

"That is part of the bargain," Selena repeated.

Chase exhaled, hoping this wasn't going to backfire. "She's Luke's mother."

"Mother?" Selena repeated, then put a few fingers over her mouth and looked around. A small smile came to her lips, and Chase instantly felt suspicious.

"You can't say anything! Especially not to Luke, Bo, or Dale," he explained, then added as an afterthought, "or Gill."

"So many people?" Selena leaned in. "I might have trouble without a little extra persuasion."

"No, you agreed -"

"Ah, ah, ah!" She shook her finger in front of him. "I'm the one keeping the secret here, aren't I? A season's worth of drinks on the house sounds fair, doesn't it, Chase?"

"What?" Chase gaped. "I can't do that! I could lose my job!"

"Well, how about a month, then?" Selena compromised. "Come on, take it or leave it."

Chase scowled. "I'll take it."

"Good boy," Selena smirked, arms folded under her chest. "This can be our little secret."

---

Gill was once again trapped at work. He had stopped by the Sundae Inn as planned, but the trip had come up empty, which was a good thing, he supposed. No news was good news.

"Gill," Elli appeared in the doorway. "Phone for you."

Gill sighed. He was supposed to be on break, and yet it seemed like he had been working the entire time anyway.

"Hello?" He asked, grabbing the phone.

"Gill?" The voice was Chase's. "We have a small problem."

"What is it?" Gill asked, heart sinking. This could only have to do with Luke's mother.

"Well, I think I have the situation under control, but you guys should know that Selena knows."

"Selena?" Gill asked. "Knows everything?"

"Yeah," Chase confirmed. "She spread some rumors already, but I think I've got her under control."

_It could have been anyone, _Gill wracked his mind, trying to come up with someone that would be harder to control than Selena. He came up empty.

"How?"

"Free drinks for a month," Chase groaned. "Tell Luke that if I lose my job, I'm coming for him."

"He can't keep this up," Gill glanced around, making sure Elli was still in the other room. "He has to tell everyone. Not even everyone, but at least his father."

"Yeah," Chase agreed, "but I have to go, I'm still at work. I just wanted to let one of you know, and I figured you'd be the only one near a phone."

"Thanks, Chase," he said, then heard the other end of the line click and set the phone back on it's receiver.

"Gill?" It was Elli again.

"Hm?"

"I don't mean to be rude, or anything..." she seemed to hesitate before asking. "What's been going on, with that new visitor?"

"What do you mean?" Gill asked, stiffening a little. She had been in the other room as he had talked, how had she heard? Had he really been loud enough to hear?

"I've been hearing a lot of talk," she explained. "Something to do with Luke. You know Luke a lot better than I do, and I just...want to hear it from someone who knows, not someone who's gossiping."

Gill hesitated. What was he supposed to do? He couldn't let _another _person find out about this, but he didn't want Elli to believe what she heard from town gossips. He was quite sure Elli wouldn't say a word, if he asked her not to...

"Alright," he agreed at last, "sit down. I'll explain what I know."

* * *

Well, as everyone but Luke predicted, this 'secret' business isn't going well.

Reviews are great and everything =D


	4. Heed the Warnings

**Disclaimer; as always I own nothing. Warnings; we _still _aren't to the violence, but alas, we have reached the homophobia [an unfortunate part of any story, though it does significantly juice up the plot here.]. And swearing is an ever-present threat.**

* * *

Bo had been relaxing, kicked back on the couch when a sudden, sharp knock on the door startled him.

"Hey, Gill." He greeted, opening the door. The serious look on his friend's face slightly concerned him.

"Where's Luke?" Gill asked immidiately. Bo's face fell a little.

"Why?" He asked. "Did something happen?"

"Something's going to," Gill answered, stepping inside. "Is he here?"

"Yeah," Bo answered, "we just got inside for lunch. Hey, Luke!"

"Where's Dale?" Gill asked more quietly.

"Out working," Bo answered, feeling more suspicious by the second. "What's going on?"

"Yeah?" Luke popped out from down the hall. "Hey, Gill."

"You," Gill pointed at Luke. "You're going to confess before this gets out of hand."

"Huh?"

"Sit down, both of you," Gill demanded, and Bo, raising an eyebrow, obeyed. Luke walked over, looking just as suspicious. "This little secret of yours, Luke? It's hardly a secret anymore."

"What?" Luke asked, and Bo noticed his entire demeanor change to one of alarm.

"We know," Gill said, dragging his finger in a circle through the air, representing the three of them. None of them needed to ask what this was about; the secret obviously meant Luke's mother. "Chase knows. Selena knows -"

"Selena?" He and Luke asked in unison. Luke kept going. "Who the hell told her?"

"No one told her," Gill explained. "Ozzie and Captain Pascal know, obviously, and though they said they weren't going to tell anyone, Selena must have overheard them talking about it. You know she's always near the dock, talking to the fishermen. Well, she started spreading rumors; Chase just got her under control, and the way he's bribing her he'll lose his job if Jake or Colleen find out. Now Selena's rumors are flying around, and no one's sure who this woman is. Most people knows she has some sort of connection to you, Luke."

Luke was silent.

"Your father is bound to find out. Honestly, you probably have a day or so, at best, before he does. Someone is bound to ask about it."

"Are they the only ones who know?" Luke asked, "Us, Chase, Selena, and Ozzie and Pascal?"

"That's a lot of people," Bo pointed out.

"Elli does as well," Gill admitted.

"How'd _she _find out?" Luke asked, exasperated.

"She overheard Chase telling me about Selena," Gill said. "Point being, far too many people know about this so called 'secret'. It would be wise to tell your father before things get out of hand and he hears from someone el -" Gill stopped as the sound of footsteps from just outside the door were heard.

"Luke."

Dale was suddenly in the doorway. Bo hoped that he hadn't been standing there long, but realized they would have heard either the door open, or the sound of him approaching sooner. He looked stern and angry, and Bo did his best to stay still. His name hadn't been mentioned yet, so maybe whatever Luke seemed to be in trouble for, he wasn't going to get blamed for as well.

"Get outside. Now."

Luke didn't move for a second, then made his way to the door and slid past his father. Dale turned his stare to Bo, and he froze.

"Get over here."

Bo stood up immidiately, and though he felt a very ominous sense of danger coming from Dale, he approached him anyway. He had no doubt the consequences would be worse if he ignored Dale's command. He passed Gill, who had previously been standing with his arms crossed. Now, his arms were at his sides, and he looked as confused as Bo felt.

"Yes, sir?" Bo asked, trying to sound as respectful as possible.

"You knew about this, didn't you?"

"Wh -?" Bo began to form the question, and then his breath failed him. Seconds after he had opened his mouth to ask, he knew the answer.

"Just as I thought."

Dale grabbed Bo by the arm and led him outside. Scrambling down the steps outside the door, he came to a halt just next to the wooden table they had set up for carpentry. Dale released his arm, and he looked over at Luke.

Luke was standing, open-mouthed and not even bothering to hide it, just outside the fence around their house. His mother was a short distance away, arms crossed. Luke glanced at him, and then seemed to realize he was there and looked in his direction as Dale ignored them both, approaching Luke's mother.

"What the hell is she doing here?" Bo whispered so faintly he could hardly hear himself. Luke seemed to successfully read his lips, because he responded by shrugging slightly and mouthing, 'I don't know!'

"I've tried to tell you already," Luke's mother huffed, not sounding at all like the reserved, somewhat nervous woman he had seen her as before. "I thought he told you. It's not my fault he didn't."

"Mo -!" Luke opened his mouth to object, but Dale cut him off.

"Quiet, Luke," Dale ordered.

"Don't talk to him like that!" Luke's mother argued.

"Don't tell me how to talk to my son!" Dale shot back. "I haven't seen you talk to him in years, isn't that right?"

"Who's fault is that?" His mother retorted, her voice getting louder. No, this was definitely not the woman he had seen before.

"Yours!" Dale shouted back. "You could have come and seen him at any time!"

"Well, I am now!" She returned. "And you're going to try and get rid of me again!"

Bo felt someone near him, and glanced over his shoulder to see. Gill was beside him, expression one of concern and confusion.

"That's right," Dale growled, "so get off of my property. You don't belong here."

"You can't order me around, Dale," she spat, "I will continue to see my son, whether you like it or not. You don't have the authority to send me off this island!"

"Not yet," Dale threatened as the woman turned and stalked away. As soon as she turned the corner of the road, heading through the root path and into Caramel River District, Dale rounded on his son.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" He demanded. "Did you think it was smart, keeping her here? Why the hell didn't you tell me as soon as she showed up?"

"I just wanted to see her!" Luke rushed, backing up a bit. "I wasn't trying to make you mad!"

"What did you think it was going to make me?" Dale questioned. "Happy? Did you think I was going to be _excited _to see that she's back?"

"No, I just -"

"You didn't even think about it, Luke," Dale answered for his son. "You didn't think about how this was going to affect anyone but yourself. She should not be here, Luke, you _know_ that!"

Just as Dale seemed to be ready to end his rant, for the time being, he turned around and faced Bo.

"And you knew!" Dale yelled. "Don't bother lying, I know you knew. You're just as responsible for this as Luke is, you know she doesn't belong here." Dale walked past him and Gill, who pressed closer for a moment to avoid the man and his wrath. Just as he was about to close the door behind him, he commented.

"I always knew Luke was going to try something like this," he grumbled, "But I thought you had a little more honesty in you, Bo."

As the door closed behind Dale, Bo felt his heart sink. He had spent the better part of a lifetime trying to prove that there was a good reason for Dale to keep him around - he was helpful, nice, respectful. Dale had thought so too. In an instant, Bo had just blown everything.

_---_

"Mom!"

Luke raced after his mother, who was nearing the door to the Sundae Inn. What the hell was that? Why had she just shown up, and acted like he was supposed to tell his father? _She _had encouraged him to keep it a secret!

"Mom, wait up!"

His mother turned, no longer looking like the fierce woman he had just seen arguing with his father.

"Mom, why - what'd you say that for?" Luke asked exasperatedly, stumbling over his words. "You told me not to tell Dad!"

"Honey," His mother placed a hand on each of his shoulders. "It's hard to explain."

"I've got all day," he insisted. He was not going to let her get away without explaining. "It's not like Dad's going to come after me." _Yeah, right. I'll be lucky if he even bothers looking at me when I get back. Or worse, he'll still be pissed and I'll get _another _earful._

"I couldn't tell him the truth, sweetie," she began. "If he had known that I encouraged you not to tell him, he'd try and get me to leave. I had to lie so that I could stay here, honey, do you understand?"

Luke's anger was fading. Yeah, that made sense, sort of. His mother had to lie so that she could stay and see him, yeah...he believed that. A small part of him was still shouting unanswered questions, still objecting to his mother's explanation, but he ignored it. This was his mother he was talking to, he had to believe her. Right?

"Oh," Luke managed. "I...I guess I get it."

"See, honey?" His mother reassured him with a warm smile, "everything's alright. Don't worry about your father, he'll come around eventually."

Something inside Luke knew that no, his father would never come around to Luke's mother attempting to work her way back into Luke's life. He knew, somehow, that she was wrong, and that she was saying anything she could to make him believe her. But the better part of Luke was saying that this was his mother, she was back and wanted to see him, and that was all that mattered.

"Now, why don't you show me around town?" His mother asked. "I saw a lot of houses on my way back, but I haven't seen many people yet."

"Y-you want me to introduce you?" He asked, getting his hopes up a little. If she wanted to meet more people, did that mean she really wanted to stay for good?

"Well, not just yet," she denied, and Luke's excitement fell. "But I do want to see where everything is. Think you could give me a tour?"

"Sure," he answered. It's not like he had anything else to do all day, and he was in no hurry to return home, where his father would be waiting.

---

They started in town. He showed her Town Hall, the Clinic, the shops and places to go. They didn't go inside, nor did she want to meet any of the people inside, but Luke didn't press her. He would take anything he could get, and this was progress. They made their way to Maple Lake District, where he pointed out the houses and who lived in them. Some people she recognized, like when he pointed out Chase's house.

"Who's house is that?" She pointed, though Luke had already hinted a few times not to point. He followed her finger and found himself staring at Julius' old house, which still looked decent, but inside, was vacant. Luke felt a familiar feeling of guilt rising in his stomach, but pushed it aside.

"A guy named Julius used to live there," Luke said, leaving out the reason why Julius was no longer living there - or living at all.

"A man lived there?" His mother asked, then chuckled a little. "Have they changed it since he left?"

"No," Luke answered, a little confused. It clicked only too late why she found the notion so funny - Luke had known Julius while he was alive. He had met him before. His mother hadn't. The house had pink trimming and a rainbow welcome mat, and maybe she even found the overgrown flowers decorating the empty house strange.

"He must have been a real weird guy," she laughed.

"He was gay," Luke shrugged, expecting that to end the subject.

"I could have guessed," she continued her giggling. "Just like I said, a real weird guy. Did you ever talk to him?"

"I tried not to," Luke admitted. His mother took this entirely the wrong way, as he noticed only too late.

"I don't blame you," she laughed, "I try to stay away from those types too. Keeping a safe distance, you know?" She kept going, as if she was trying to get him to laugh.

"So you...you don't really, like gay people?" He said, trying to sound casual. He even managed to add a small chuckle, like he was agreeing with her.

"Oh, no," she shook her head, "I try to keep to my own kind. Us - normal people."

"Have you...ever known somebody who was gay?"

"Seen them, of course," she answered, "Met them, yes, but never anything more than that. I don't want friends like that. It's unnatural."

Luke continued the tour with less enthusiasm than before. His mind was stuck on other things, like the fact that he couldn't see himself ever confessing to his mother that he was one of the people she refused to tolerate.

* * *

Poor Luke has hit another snag in his master plan.


	5. If You Won't Tell

Okay, as a super-warning [yes, a warning in addition to my usual warning...I'm cool] homophobia? - pretty upsetting stuff. Things will only continue to get worse, and the homophobia you see in the next chapter is...extreme. So, please keep in mind that ranting about it, or getting upset about it towards me, does absolutely nothing, because I'm not homophobic. It's just the plot, and I have to roll with it.

[Note - nobody _has _complained/ranted so far, so I'm grateful for that. I planned on this little speech from the beginning].

**Disclaimer; I always own nothing. Warnings; same as usual, swearing, homophobia...no violence, still. **

* * *

A swing of the axe.

Another.

Another.

It had just been one punishment to the next, it seemed to Bo. Especially for Luke. There had been the extra work for going into Mt. Gelato alone, then his hand had been crushed, so he had a long break. Luke had been working double time. Now, they were on punishment again, this time for lying and keeping Luke's mother a secret.

"What'd you say to her?" Bo asked. He had been trying to get a conversation started all afternoon. However, his attempts were futile, thanks to Luke's strange, distant behavior.

"Not much," He said. "She wanted me to show her around."

"So did you?"

"Yeah."

"Did she say anything about why she showed up here?" Bo asked. "It's her fault the secrets blown, you know."

"She only did it so she could stay," Luke explained. "She didn't mean to get me in trouble."

"You know that's a lie," Bo said, swinging his axe again. Luke shrugged. "You do, don't you?"

He shrugged again.

"It's not a big deal."

"What do you mean?" Bo questioned. "Not a big deal? She's using you to get away with what she wants, Luke, don't you see that?"

"Nah," he answered, but without the smirk that usually accompanied that answer. His voice was dry and dull. "She's not."

"Whatever you say, Luke," Bo responded, rolling his eyes. Luke wasn't going to believe anything against his mother, apparently. They were both silent for awhile, the only noise being the sound of wood splitting as they hacked away. Luke suddenly stopped, and when Bo realized Luke was staring at him, he stopped too.

"What?" He asked. Luke opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again, sighing.

"What?" Bo repeated. "You've been acting really weird all day, Luke. Spit it out."

"Bo, I...I kinda need time to, think. You know?" He started off suddenly. Bo raised an eyebrow.

"Not really," he answered. "What are you talking about?"

"You know," he said again, not making his point any clearer. "Us."

Bo stopped swinging his axe, staring directly at Luke, who was looking everywhere but at him.

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't know," Luke mumbled, "I was just thinking...maybe we shouldn't be, you know...together."

Bo's mouth fell a little, like he was about to speak. His eyebrows came down in a confused look.

What the hell?

"What are you talking about?" He repeated for what must have been the third time.

"I don't know, I just was thinking about it," Luke repeated, rushing as if Bo was going to interrupt. "Like, we passed by Julius' house and I was thinking -"

"What does _Julius _have to do with anything?" Bo interjected.

"I don't know!" Luke said for the third time. "It's just I was talking to my mom, and she -"

"What?" Bo interupted again, getting increasingly angry. "What the hell did she say?"

"Nothing! Just that...you know, maybe this isn't the best idea."

Bo was speechless. What the hell had his mother said to him?

"I was just...thinking that, maybe we should take a break or something. I mean, there's nothing wrong with us being friends -"

"There was never anything wrong with being _more _than that," he interjected, "until your mom showed up."

"It's just...what she said made me think."

"Are you really going to believe what your mom says?" Bo nearly shouted in disbelief. "I've been trying to tell you all along, Luke,she doesn't care about you!She's trying to screw things up for you and she'll use you to cover her tracks if she needs to!"

"You don't know her," Luke insisted.

"And you do? Luke, you've only seen her twice in at least _eight years! _Just because she's your mother doesn't mean you know her!"

"I don't care!" He returned, sounding more exasperated and desperate than angry.

"Let me guess, you tried telling her about me and she told you it's wrong?" Bo growled. "And you're going to listen to her?"

"I didn't tell her anything," Luke denied.

"Well, she's going to find out," Bo insisted, "and you know what? When she does, I hope she _does _think it's wrong. I hope she leaves - again. And then maybe you'll realize that just because she's your mother, that doesn't make her anything special. That she hasn't changed at all and she still doesn't care about you, and then maybe you'll stick with the people who have already proven that they do."

Bo tossed his axe to the side, listening to it thud against the tree they had been working at and tumble to the ground. Without a second thought, he turned and headed in the opposite direction.

Bo had never actually hated someone before. He didn't hate his parents, even though they'd abandoned him and neglected him. They weren't his family. Dale and Luke were his family. Now, this woman had shown up after abandoning Luke just like his own parents had done to him, and was trying to squeeze in and uproot the life they had here. Bo hadn't been born with a family, like most people were. He'd had to work for one - and he wasn't going to let anyone take that away from him.

---

Gill yawned loudly, bringing his hand up to conceal it. Goddess, he really dreaded being stuck in here in the winter. During the summer, Gill enjoyed work because it kept him out of the heat. During the winter, Town Hall never seemed to have enough heat to go around.

"Goddess," he mumbled, getting the chills again. He stood up from his desk and marched over to the thermostat, preparing to crank it up.

"We're not allowed to do that," Elli appeared beside him, holding her arms and looking just as chilly as he felt.

"Why not?" Gill frowned. He would not be sitting in this room all day if he wasn't allowed to turn the heat up a little.

"Profits have been low this winter," she explained, "we don't have enough funds to spare on things like that."

Gill lowered his hand, which had been extended towards the thermostat.

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Gill asked. "My father can't expect us to work in an icebox the rest of the winter."

Elli didn't answer. She was clearly not going to budge, but Gill doubted she would really try and stop him if he decided to turn up the heat anyway.

"We're the only ones working today, right?" He asked, an idea coming to mind.

"Mhm," she answered.

"I've got an idea," Gill announced, moving back towards his desk and gathering his stuff. "Grab your things. We'll finish the rest of this at my house."

The two were about to head out the door when it flew open, Gill dodging it barely. He backed up a few steps, then realized the visitor was a disgruntled looking Bo.

"I have to talk to you."

"Well, I'm working -"

"It's important," Bo insisted. "It's about _her."_

"Me?" Elli piped up quietly, misunderstanding the emphasis.

"No," Gill hurried to correct, knowing full well who Bo meant.

"Guess what Luke just found out?" Bo went on, ignoring that Elli was standing right there. Gill felt he should say something - maybe imply that they were standing right beside his co-worker - yet at the same time, Bo wouldn't say anything he didn't want her to know. Or at least, Gill was going to assume he wouldn't. "She's doesn't like gay people."

Gill knew Bo would have been more specific if they weren't accompanied by Elli, but there was no way he could think of to get Elli out of the picture politely. He knew she would leave if he asked her to, but all the same, he didn't want to just shove her to the side like that.

"Oh," he began, "did he…say something?"

"No," Bo said, "but I'm going to. Come on, we're going to find her."

Bo turned and headed back out the door. Gill looked at Elli and then back to Bo.

"Put everything back on the desk," he instructed, placing his own work on a side table beside the door. "We'll have to get to these later."

Gill waited a moment for Elli, then hurried after Bo.

"Gill?" Elli asked quietly. "What's he talking about?"

"It's hard to explain," Gill answered, even though it was actually quite easy to. "But I'm sure you'll know everything shortly. Hold on a second," He added, catching up with Bo and grabbing his friend by the shoulder.

"Are you aware we have Elli with us?" He whispered urgently. "And that if you just confess this like it's no big deal to a woman that you _know _will take it badly, you might as well confess to the whole town?"

"Yes, I am," Bo replied, "and it's _not _a big deal."

"What are you talking about?" He went on, "Have you ever considered the fact that maybe Luke would prefer _not _to tell his mother?"

"Oh, he doesn't want to," Bo confessed, a strange bitter tone in his voice. "But I don't care. He shouldn't mind too much, though, seeing as he probably won't come within three feet of me until his mother leaves. Not that I plan on letting him, anymore."

"What are you talking about?"

"You heard me," Bo went on, "Luke had a choice to make. He made it."

Gill opened his mouth to demand an explanation when he realized they were at the door of the Sundae Inn. Bo opened it and headed inside, not bothering to greet anyone. Gill was momentarily stunned. All of this was so unlike Bo - normally, Luke was the action, and Bo was the plan. Now, Bo seemed like he was going to take a turn being the hot-headed one, and he was about to make a decision that could potentially make things a hundred times worse.

"Bo, wait a second," he called, hurrying after him. Bo had already stopped Chase, who had been on his way down the stairs.

"Where's Luke's mom?" Bo asked bluntly, not even bothering to lower his voice. With the amount of people that knew, Gill wasn't even sure it was a secret worth keeping anymore.

"She's upstairs, in her room," Chase asked, looking slightly taken aback by Bo's tone. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah," he said, continuing up the stairs, "but I'm about to fix it."

"What's going on?" Chase caught Gill as he moved to catch up with Bo, keeping his voice down.

"I hardly even know," Gill answered, hurrying after Bo. He could hear Elli keeping up behind him, but Chase's footsteps continued down the stairs. When Gill reached Bo again, he was already pounding on the door to the woman's room.

"Bo, just wait a moment -"

"Hello?" The door opened, revealing Luke's mother as Gill was used to seeing her - quiet, meek. Nothing like the explosive woman he had watched argue with her ex-husband. "Oh, are you three looking for Luke?"

"No," Bo said, before Gill could attempt to say anything. "Actually, you're the one I wanted to talk to."

"Well, I'm actually very busy, so -"

Luke's mother began to slowly close the door, and with a look of determination on his face, Bo spoke. The words stopped the woman, and she opened the door again.

"Excuse me?"

"You're son's gay," He repeated plainly. Gill glanced over at Elli and found her eyes were wide with surprise.

The brunette was silent for a moment, then snapped defensively, "How would you know?"

"So am I," Bo clarified, and Gill noticed Elli's eyes get even wider. "Trust me - I know."

Luke's mother's expression was one of slightly irritated disbelief, her nails digging into the door she held.

"W-what?" She eyed him suspiciously. "Did Dale put you up to this? He's trying to get me to leave, isn't he?"

"No one put me up to this," Bo said calmly\. "Actually, they tried to keep me from telling you."

The woman had a look of indignant betrayal on her face. Her eyebrows met in confusion.

"And nobody told me this?" She hissed. Bo said nothing, and Gill found himself unable to speak. He couldn't imagine how this was going to make things better - Luke was going to be _furious _when he found out. That, or he was going to feel betrayed. No, he would probably feel that regardless. Gill simply couldn't understand how Bo's usually reliable sense of logic had led him to such a problematic solution.

The door slammed. Bo didn't even flinch.

* * *

Yep, and that's what happens when you manage to make Bo angry - something quite hard to do, mind you.


	6. The Falls Run With Blood

This chapter - intense. You either will like it for that reason, or hate it because of the reason I consider it intense. So...really all I can say is, read on, take it as you will, and yes...we have reached the violence.

**Warning; yep, violence, blood, that stuff. Homophobia, as per usual for this story. Disclaimer; I don't own anything. Except maybe Angela? Whoa, I own stuff.**

* * *

Outrageous. Absolutely outrageous. Her son, one of _those _people? _Her_ son?

"Hello?" She snapped, phone pressed closely to her ear. The raspy voice that answered only enraged her further.

"Hello?" It greeted. "Who's this?"

"It's Angela," She explained. "Put it on speakerphone, I want to talk to the boys."

The voice didn't respond, but moments later she could hear the movements in the background, indicating to her that she had been put on speakerphone. She heard a few yells, then clear words.

"Hey, Angie," one drawled.

"How's it going up there, Miss?" Another asked. "What about that boy of yours?"

"That's why I called," she explained, frustration still clear in her voice. "I want you three here, as soon as possible."

"What happened?" A third questioned. "You sound angry."

"You would be too, if you're son was a faggot," she said bluntly, twirling a piece of brown hair between her fingers. There was a lot of background noise, but a few sentences managed to slip through to her ears.

"Ya' got a problem for us, Angie?" The first voice asked, and she nearly threw the phone when she heard that stupid nickname for a second time. "Your boy ain't as much a man as ya' thought he'd be?"

"Shut up," she snapped. "This information isn't to leave your mouths again, got it? I want you all up here, now, and taking care of this."

"How do you want us to handle it, Miss?"

"Anyway you want," she said, "Just as long as you're here by tomorrow. Got that?"

"Yes ma'am!" Two of them said; the third voice said something else, and was drown out by the noise in the background.

"Good. Now get the hell over here. You're going to make my son a man."

---

Gill had to talk to Luke, immidiately. Or, at the very least, before he tried speaking with his mother. Gill doubted Luke would try talking to Bo anytime soon, since he was still visibly angry, and though Bo's frustration had led him to blowing the duo's secret, it had faded enough that he hadn't gone and told Luke of his mistake. Whether that was good or bad, Gill was unsure. In order to talk to him, Gill had asked Luke to meet him at the Sundae Inn. Elli had asked if she could come along, and Gill had agreed. Why not? She knew everything anyway, there was nothing left to hide from her.

The only problem; Luke had agreed to meet Gill there at eight o' clock that night, and there he was with no Luke.

"I swear by the Goddess…" Gill searched the room for the umpteenth time. "Where is he?"

"Maybe he forgot," Elli suggested from her seat beside him.

"Or maybe he's touring the island with his mother again," he snapped in frustration. "Listening to more of her ridiculous ideas…" he realized how annoyed he sounded and looked over at Elli, muttering an apology.

"Are you two getting anything?" Chase approached them, carrying a platter in one hand and wearing his usual apron.

"Actually, we're waiting for Luke," Gill said. "He was supposed to be here."

"Luke?" Chase blinked. "But I saw Luke leave around twenty minutes ago."

"What?" Gill looked up at Chase, confused. "You mean he was here?"

"Yeah," Chase went on, "he was sitting at a table alone for a few minutes, but left with some guy."

"Who?" Elli asked quietly. Chase regarded her with a look of surprise, as if he hadn't imagined her speaking during this conversation.

"I don't know," he said. "Nobody who lives here, that's for sure. All I know is Luke left with him."

Gill felt suspicion creeping up in the back of his mind.

"Chase," Gill began, "is Luke's mother in her room?"

"No," Chase said, looking confused. "She checked out. You might want to check the dock, but I'm pretty sure she left Waffle Island this morning."

That confirmed it. Gill was certain, completely and utterly certain that Luke's mother was behind this. He stood up from his chair and pushed it in, agitation already growing. He had a terrible feeling about all of this…

"Gill?" Elli asked as he moved past Chase and headed for the door. "Gill, wait!"

He could hear her catching up with him as he exited the Sundae Inn, and forced himself to slow down and wait for her.

"Elli," he addressed when she reached him. "I need you to do something for me."

"Anything," she replied quietly.

"Run down to the dock and ask if Luke's mother left this morning," he instructed. "I'm going to be at Dale's Carpentry. I'll meet you in the middle on the way back."

She didn't reply, and merely turned and hurried off. Gill watched her go for a moment, then turned back and headed down the opposite road.

_I have to focus, h_e told himself sternly, _If Luke's not at his house, then I might be about to declare him missing._

Missing was one thing. What Gill was truly about to suggest was that Luke had been forcibly removed from Sundae Inn, somehow. Somehow, that unknown man had convinced Luke to join him, though it was no one seen on the island before. He sped up, but the sinking feeling in his stomach only matched his pace.

---

"What'd she want?"

The man was nice enough - he didn't say much, but neither did Luke's mother. Gill hadn't either, when they had first met. Luke considered dealing with both of them experience with more reserved people.

"I'm not too sure," he said. "All she asked of me was to have you meet her at the falls."

Luke shrugged. He was always willing to talk to his mom, if she was willing too.

"Why'd she send you?" Luke asked. "She could of gotten me herself."

"I just got here today," he explained. "She wanted me to meet you, and she doesn't like to be noticed…"

"Yeah, I know," Luke said, feeling better the closer they got to Caramel Falls. He could see the falls just up ahead. "She's…shy."

"I like to say reserved," The man corrected. Luke shrugged again. What was one word, anyway?

"We're here," the man said, patting Luke on the back. Luke looked around, but his mother was nowhere to be found.

"Where is she?" He asked.

"Oh…" the man began. "Miss? She might not be able to make it, kid."

"Huh?" He turned his head to look the man in the eye, and for the first time, truly took in the size of him. He was about half a foot taller, and though he didn't have the muscles that came with swinging an axe for a living, he was heavy-set.

"She ain't here," a new voice spoke, and Luke turned back towards the falls. Emerging from behind the waterfall were two figures, equally large men. One was less bulky and was actually toned, but the other seemed to have the same build as the man holding Luke's neck.

Holding his neck.

It took Luke a second, but he realized the man was no longer patting him on the back, but was gripping the back of his neck firmly. The pressure was uncomfortable at best.

"Who are you?" He asked. "Is my mom here or what?"

"'Course she ain't," The toned man said, crossing his arms, black eyes glinting. "I already told ya' that, boy. We got orders, though."

"What are you talking about?" He glanced around, waiting for his mother to appear, or to see her running off for help. She was nowhere in sight.

"Nobody in their right mind wants a fag for a son, eh?" The one who hadn't spoke yet laughed, and Luke felt rage boiling in the pit of his stomach.

"What the hell are you talking -" he stopped mid-sentence, realizing what this meant.

_'Nobody in their right mind wants a fag for a son, eh?'_

This was not something that would ever cross his father's mind, Luke was sure. Which could only mean…

"She…" Luke breathed. He had not meant for the men to hear.

"He gets it!" The man who had the grip on him shook him and laughed. "He gets it, did you hear that?"

"We ain't teachin' him much of anything like this, are we?" One commented, and the two that were farther from him began approaching. Luke felt his body stiffen. It was anticipating what was about to happen before his mind could. Once the men approaching were only a stone's throw away, the man holding him shoved him forward. One of the men - he was unsure which - connected to his skull with a fist.

The blow sent him sprawling. When he hit the ground, he was seeing stars. He didn't have time to gather himself before he was struck again - this time, someone kicked him swiftly in the ribs. The impact wrenched a cry from Luke's throat - the boots were steel-toed.

"Get up!" One of them jeered. "Did ya' hear me? Get up!"

"Give him a break," another chuckled. "You can't expect him to fight like a man."

Luke gritted his teeth in anger, and, rolling onto his stomach, he pushed himself upward and stood to face the men. Before he could get his bearings, he was punched again. The first collided hard with his jaw, and he spun around and landed face-first with a splash, into the cold waters of the Caramel River. He heard splashing as the men, instead of waiting for him to rise again, made their way into the water after him. He was yanked roughly by the back of his collar, causing him to cough as his shirt pressed against his throat. Things began to happen so quickly he couldn't keep up - someone kneed him hard in the stomach, another blow hit the side of his face. He was kicked once more by the steel-toed boots, this time in the temple. He blacked out for a moment - or at least, he thought it was a moment - before coming back to a fog. He was unsure of what he was seeing, but when he realized he was being held by the collar, staring into the smirking face of one of his attackers, his body tensed with anger.

"Not even gonna put up a fight, boy?" The man's smirk widened, only fueling Luke's growing rage. "Pity. Your mother had hoped there was at least a _little _fight in ya'…"

Luke was suddenly overcome with fury. Too disoriented to deal out any real damage of his own just yet, he settled for something painless, yet sure to wound the man's inflated ego.

With a second's worth of loud preperation, he spit into the man's face.

The unexpected action caused the man to drop him, which was the desired effect. Luke managed a small chuckle as the man cried out angrily, wiping the glob from between his eyes.

"You little -!" One of them lunged for him, delivering another punishing blow to his side. The beating continued, his meager attempt at revenge having only seemed to fuel them, as their insults were fueling him to stay conscious…

"Get away!" The one he had spat on was pushing the other two aside. "I'm about to give this little shit a piece of my fist!"

The man seized him roughly, holding him level to his face.

"Think your tough?" The man growled. "I'll show ya' what tough is!"

A heavy punch to the gut. Another. A third. Each one forced a strangled cry from Luke's throat, but none loud enough to hear. There was something seriously wrong with his jaw, it felt out of place, almost…

"Yer' own mother wanted this, ya' hear?" He shook him. "She don't care if ya' live or die. She'd rather have ya' dead than be a living disgrace to her. I'll have ya' begging to me not to kill ya'!"

"U...uh..." Luke struggled for the words. The man smiled.

"Ready to start pleading already?" The man laughed angrily.

"Ugly...b-bastard..."

The man's face contorted in anger.

"Shut the hell up!" He shouted, seeming to have abandoned all need for quiet, so long as he caused Luke as much pain as possible. Suddenly he was thrown into the water, the shock of the cold stealing his breath away for a moment. His face was suddenly forced under the water, and he found himself unable to completely close his mouth. He blew air from his nose and mouth as long as possible, but soon found his supply had run empty. Water filled his airway, and Luke began to struggle, despite the pain.

"That it?" The man yanked him up again, and Luke gasped and sputtered for air. "Had enough yet?"

Luke didn't answer. There was no point in answering. The man released his grip and kicked him sharply again, then a second time. The third time, he hit a particularly painful spot near his ribs, and Luke cried out. However, his yell seemed to mingle with another, Luke, through the haziness and confusion, realized they were no longer alone.

"Who the hell is that?" The one who was leading the attack snapped. "I got this one; get her!"

Luke managed to raise his head and spotted, through double-vision, a blue dress. A blue dress and short, brown hair…familiar. He _should _know this person, yet his mind could not bring itself together long enough for him to grasp a name…

The girl screamed again, as the two other men neared her quickly. She turned and ran, and Luke's vision began to darken.

* * *

So.

Luke, being a big favorite in ToT characters, being beaten into the Caramel River is probably going to get me a few flames, or at least upset some people. If it doesn't, I'll feel pretty great. If it does...I'll probably still feel pretty great.

Reviews lead you closer to Luke's fate!


	7. Dire Situation

As a heads-up; with the arrival of my new Warriors fic, updates on this fic will be slowed. This is NOT a hiatus warning or anything; this story will continue. I just have to remove myself from a writer's block that has struck me; and a new Warriors fic is the perfect way to do it.

**Disclaimer; I own nothing pertaining to this story. Warnings; nothing this chapter will offend you, if you haven't been offended thus far.**

* * *

It was Elli's scream that they heard first.

Gill's heart seemed to stop at the sound. It was blood-curdling. Elli was a quiet, reserved girl - she didn't talk much, especially not when she was working, which was when Gill saw her most. The sound of her screaming was something Gill hadn't been prepared for. Someone so shy couldn't make that kind of heart-piercing sound.

He ran. He didn't wait to see if Bo was following, or if Dale had even left the house yet. He ran towards the sound, almost without his own control. His body would have even if he hadn't commanded it to.

Gill rounded the corner, heading towards Caramel Falls. That was where the sound was, he was sure of it. He couldn't hear if Bo or Dale were following, the only sound was the blood pounding in his ears.

Then, he saw her. Elli. She was racing in his direction, he was momentarily unsure of what the danger was. No one appeared to be near her. Nothing appeared to be wrong.

"Gill," she nearly crashed into him, grabbing onto him like she would be unable to stand without his support. "They, th-they have…"

"What?" He asked, holding her in hopes of calming her down. Her cheeks were wet with a few stray tears, Gill noticed the shoulder of her dress was torn.

"We have to go! He's coming!"

"Who?" He asked, but didn't have to. Rounding the corner was a heavy-set, fairly large man. His body tensed as the man approached them. Elli was tugging him frantically, but he ignored it. The man stopped just short of Gill, peering around him towards Elli.

"C'mon, beautiful, we just wanna have a bit of fun," he grinned, then turned his beady eyes to Gill. "And who are you, pretty-boy? Come to save the damsel in distress?"

Gill said nothing.

How was he supposed to respond to such a..._revolting _man?

"Too bad that hero business don't work in the real world, pretty-boy," The man chuckled. "Hand over the little miss or I'll have to put ya' in ya' place."

Gill continued to stare down the man, a strange, surreal feeling overtaking him. Maybe this was the effect of adrenaline going to his head…

"Don't worry about the little miss, either." he smirked. "I can be real gentle with pretty things."

Then, the man extended a meaty palm and reached for Elli. This, on top of his comments, was most definitely crossing the line. His reaction was almost without his control - and certainly out of character, because at that moment, he pulled back his arm, and delivered a punch straight to the man's nose. He stumbled backwards a few steps, clasping a hand over his face. A moment later he removed it, revealing a look of rage.

"You piece of -!"

"Hey!"

The voice did not belong to anyone Gill knew. It was another man, peering around the corner of the falls. He motioned wildly.

"Get over here! We're out!"

The man sent Gill one last menacing glance before running back towards his partner. With danger no longer imminent, Gill turned to Elli, only to find she wasn't alone.

"Whoa," Bo mumbled. "I didn't know you had it in you, Gill."

"Gill," Elli began, pointing towards where the men had been moments before, "Luke's over there!"

Elli didn't seem relieved, or even slightly comforted by the notion that the man was gone. It was troubling; to Gill, it meant that something worse was still yet to come.

Bo took off in that direction. Gill hurried after, but more slowly, keeping pace with Elli. When they rounded the corner, the sight stopped Gill in his tracks.

"Luke," Bo barely whispered, his voice rising in fear. "Luke!"

Gill could see his friend, face down, lower half submerged in Caramel River, the other splayed out on the shore. Bo was there in seconds, but Gill and Elli approached more cautiously. Bo gently began to turn him over, and Gill took a step back.

One of Luke's eyes was swollen shut, his entire face was a battlefield of blood. His bandana was gone, revealing damp hair, whether wet with blood or water, he wasn't sure. The blood trailed from his chin down his neck, and something looked terribly wrong with his jaw…

"Luke," Bo said, his voice catching. "Luke? Can you hear me?"

A horrible groan emerged from Luke's throat. Gill cringed at the sound.

"Can you hear me, Luke?" Bo asked again quietly, pulling him gently into his lap and supporting his upper body with his arms. It occurred to Gill that he should be looking for danger, but the men seemed to have gone. After one last glance around, he approached his friend and knelt down, one hand still holding Elli's.

"Luke?" He asked quietly. "It's Gill and Bo. Elli, too."

Another moan, this one less alarming. Luke's good eyes cracked open the slightest bit.

"Hey," Bo managed, and Gill realized he was shaking.

"B…Bo…"

"Sh," Bo quieted him, "We're gonna get help, okay? We're gonna get you fixed up, then you can tell us where to find these guys, and we'll deal with them after, okay? Don't worry."

"Bo," He continued, ignoring Bo's wishes. "I…I-I'm so…rry…"

"Stop it," Bo told him, "You can talk later, first we have to get you help."

But Luke shook his head. "I'm…s-sorry…"

"Sorry for what?" Bo asked, voice trembling.

"I l-love…you…"

Gill noticed him swallowing hard. "I...love you too. Now stop it; it's not like you're dying or anything."

Gill could hear heavy footsteps approaching. He wheeled around, expecting to see the men returning to finish the job. However, it was Dale he spotted first, and behind him, his own father, accompanied by some of the villagers.

"Oh no," Dale mumbled, pushing past Elli and Gill. "Great Goddess…"

"Gill," his father came closer, voice struggling to remain calm. "Would you run and warn Dr. Jin for me, son? Tell him we'll be arriving shortly with Luke."

Gill didn't answer, only obeyed. Elli didn't hesitate to follow, her hand never letting go of his for a moment.

Once they were out of earshot of the others, she spoke.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

"Don't do that," He warned. She looked at him questioningly. "Don't go back to be all polite and quiet again."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"I think I've got it figured out, Elli - the reason you're so quiet is because you don't truly trust any of the people you're so nice to. I don't want that."

She was silent for a moment. "I have a question for you." She began, and he waited for her to continue. "And I want you to answer me honestly, too. There's a reason your so sarcastic and indifferent to everyone, but you weren't back there. I'm not the only one hiding behind something." She paused, and then went on to her question. "Can I see your arms?"

"Wh-what?" Gill stammered, not quite registering the question. What the hell? Who had told her?

"When you hit that man," she rushed, as if she could tell he was on the defensive. "Your - your sleeve, it…moved. And, I want to know if what I saw was real, or if I…imagined it."

Gill was silent for a moment, then realized his mouth was open in disbelief and closed it. Elli's eyes drifted downward.

"Elli," he began. "What you saw, you don't want to see again."

"But I do," she insisted. "I want to know."

Gill looked at her for a moment more before taking the wrist of his sleeve. Slowly, he pulled it back, revealing the scars he tried so hard to hide. He continued to stare at them - he didn't want to look up and see Elli's face.

"O-Oh…Gill…"

He pulled the fabric down roughly and picked up speed.

"Wait!" She called after him, but he didn't stop. Eventually, she caught up to him, catching him by the arm. "Gill, stop, please."

He did, but he didn't look at her. He couldn't. This was so much different than showing Bo his scars - this was Elli.

"Gill, they're only scars," she said, tugging at his sleeve slightly. "They don't change you. They're only scars."

He couldn't believe that. She was lying. They weren't only scars. They changed everything.

"Come on," he urged her, shaking his arm free and beginning to run again. "We have to get to the Clinic."

She followed him silently, all the way to the steps of the building. He knocked on the door, trying to shake his focus from her eyes to the task at hand. From her horrified face to Luke. His friend. Who needed him. More than Elli did.

_I have a job to do,_ he told himself. _I will not allow myself to become distracted; for Luke's sake._

"Gill?" Dr. Jin answered. "Is something wrong?"

"Dale's on his way with Luke," he quickly explained. "He's hurt."

"Badly?"

"As far as I know," Gill admitted, and Jin ushered them inside. As they waited, he felt Elli's hand brush against his meaningfully, but he did not look at her, or take her hand as she implied. When Dale swept in, a still-bleeding Luke in his arms, and a pale-faced Bo trailing behind him, Gill suddenly had no problem disregarding what had just occurred. He had more pressing matters to deal with - like his friend's safety.

As Jin began to swiftly work and at the same time, explain Luke's ever-growing list of injuries to Dale, Gill sat down beside Bo, who had collapsed into a chair. He was dimly aware of Elli sitting beside him, and even through all of this, he could not get her eyes out of his head…

"Bo?" He whispered, trying to keep from disturbing Dale and Dr. Jin.

Bo didn't look over, or acknowledge that he had spoken. Instead, he merely put his face in one of his hands, which was clammy and somewhat stained with reddish blood.

"Bo, he'll be okay," he tried to assure him. "Remember last summer?"

"Last summer," he began shakily, "it was me in the hospital bed."

"And you turned out fine," he went on, "we all did. This time will be no different."

"I don't care," he clenched one of his fists, though Gill knew he really did care, very much so. "I want to know who those guys were. I want to know who did this."

"I know, but we have to be reasonable," Gill told him. "We don't know who they are. We don't even know if they're still here."

Bo glanced over at him before dropping his eyes to the floor again. He chuckled softly, with slight bitterness.

"You know," he whispered, with the slightest half-hearted smile. "You do a real shitty job of making me feel better."

Gill returned it, but it was only slightly more heartfelt than Bo's smile. They couldn't truly grin until they heard that Luke would be okay.

"We have to focus on Luke," Elli suddenly murmured, and Gill, in his surprise, looked over at her. "What he needs. He's more important than revenge, isn't he?"

Bo held her gaze longer than he had for Gill's. Then, he nodded, looking up towards the hospital bed. Gill dared to follow, but quickly averted his eyes again at the sight of so much blood.

"Come on," Gill got to his feet, and tugged lightly on Bo's sleeve. "Maybe we should wait outside."

"No."

"Bo, we're not helping Luke by sitting here."

"We aren't helping him by sitting outside either," Bo shot back. "I'm not going anywhere until I know he's okay."

"I'll come with you," Elli whispered, and Gill, despite his efforts, looked. Her brown eyes caught his attention again, and he weighed his options. He needed to get some fresh air, just for a moment - all the blood was making him sick.

"Alright," he agreed. "We'll be back in a minute, alright, Bo?"

Bo didn't acknowledge him.

He quickly made his way outside, breathing in some of the cool night air. For once, the constricting space of a building was placed second to the open outdoors.

"I think he's going to be okay," Elli said gently.

"I know he is," Gill answered confidently.

He felt Elli's hand discreetly slip into his, and this time, he didn't pull away.

* * *

Well, you've got what you asked for; some Gill-romance. But at what cost?

I always treat my favorite characters the worst ^^'


	8. Scars of the Heart

Oh, my.

After a loooong delay, inspiration hit me tonight, and I went with it. I hope you all don't hate me, I hope you haven't given up on this story, and I hope you enjoy and review the chapter!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harvest Moon.**

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* * *

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When the sound of a ringing telephone woke Gill out of his restless sleep, he wasted no time throwing the blankets off of himself and scampering down the stairs. He didn't even bother to throw on a shirt first, and reached out with a heavily scarred arm to grab the noisy device.

"Hello?" He rushed. "Who is this?"

"Gill?" The voice on the other end was familiar. "I was hoping you'd pick up. It's Dale. I know it's late…or, early, but I wanted to call to tell you that Luke's in surgery."

"Surgery?" Gill's grip on the phone tightened, and he felt a strange turning in his stomach. He knew Luke had been badly injured hours before, but just _how _badly?

"Yes," the older man repeated. "His jaw's fractured."

"Is that serious?" Gill didn't know much about the medical department – though he could tell you all about burns.

"It's not…terrible," Dale finished a bit hesitantly. "It could be much worse. But he'll probably have to have it wired."

"Wired, as in…shut?" He questioned, mind reeling. Could you talk with your mouth wired shut? It didn't seem logical. How was Luke going to go even a day without talking? How was he going to explain how this had happened? More importantly, could you eat and drink? If you couldn't, what were you supposed to do?

There were too many questions for Gill to keep rambling over the line. Before Dale could respond, he snuck in another.

"Are you at the clinic now?"

"Yes," he answered. "Jin's given Bo and I beds to use if we'd like, but I haven't managed to get any sleep. Bo's around here somewhere."

"I'll be there shortly."

Without waiting for a goodbye, he set down the phone and hurried back to his bedroom. He grabbed the nearest pair of pants and discarded his pajama bottoms. He snatched up one of his usual button-down shirts, but didn't bother with a vest or tie to accompany it. As he went out the door he slipped on a pair of shoes, and it occurred to him that he might want to wake his father and tell him where he had gone. After all, it was the middle of the night. Instead, he snatched up a piece of stray paper and pulled a pen out of a nearby drawer and scrawled 'Clinic' onto the paper haphazardly before placing it on the kitchen table.

His trip down the road seemed to be over in moments. Gill hardly ever ran anywhere – he hardly exerted physical energy at all, in fact – but he was certainly not walking to this location. However, before he could get inside, he spotted Bo seated on the stairs of the clinic's porch, who looked up at the sound of his approaching footsteps.

"Bo," Gill greeted plainly, halting in the middle of the pavement.

"What are you doing?" He muttered, not accusingly or rudely. His voice sounded empty though, and his eyes looked full of thought.

"Dale called me," he explained, "and told me Luke was in surgery. I came by."

"He's going to have his jaw wired."

"I heard that."

"Did you take Elli home?"

The question was surprisingly off-topic. Gill had left the Clinic with Elli the night before, while Dale and Bo had stayed with Luke. But he hadn't expected Bo to mention her.

"Of course," he answered, raising an eyebrow. "Why?"

The darker blonde shrugged. "I figured I'd ask. You at least took her all the way there, didn't you?"

"That's what I said, isn't it?" He answered a bit gruffly. Why was Bo even asking about Elli? He had come down here to check on Luke.

"Good," Bo answered. "But then again, you're sorta the gentlemanly type."

"Of course I'm a gentleman," he said smugly, adjusting his collar a bit, which felt naked without the usual tie and sweater. "I'm the future mayor. But what does that have to do with Elli?"

Bo sent him a glare that seemed to see straight through him.

"Aren't future mayors supposed to be smart?" He questioned, and Gill wondered if he was getting a hint of humor out of this depressed Bo. "Or at least not blind?"

"I haven't the slightest idea what you mean."

"Great Goddess, Gill," he rolled his eyes. "You've been alone so long you can't even realize when a girl likes you?"

Gill felt a flush of embarrassment run to his pale cheeks, and was glad that it was nearly three in the morning. Had the sun been out, Bo would have a much better chance of seeing the red blush now decorating his face.

"Elli thinks of me as a friend."

"Yeah, I know," he replied, resting one side of his face onto his hand, "because you're not giving her any other choice."

"Well, what do you expect me to do?" He replied indignantly. What, did Bo think he was capable of chasing after girls? Like he had any desire to? Or that he even deserved someone as kind-hearted as Elli?

"Maybe send her some sort of signal that you actually like her," Bo snorted. "You do, Gill."

Gill said nothing for a moment, too flustered to respond. He had come down here to check on Luke's condition and to perhaps offer some solace to a no doubt distraught Bo, and here he was getting lectured by him!

"That is neither here nor there," he settled on indignantly. "I came here to check on you and Luke, and if you're going to continue to lecture me about women like I'm some sort of awkward preteen, then I'll consider my job done and gladly go home."

"Alright," he shrugged unenthusiastically. "I'm not any good at playing matchmaker myself, but I figure I have at least a little more experience than you do."

"It's Luke who's always trying to set me up –" he paused as he realized he had mentioned Luke. He waited for Bo to flinch, or cringe, but he did neither. He continued staring at him like some sort of statue. "I can't take you looking at me like that anymore. Stop it."

Bo averted his gaze, and got to his feet.

"Come on," he said quietly, walking past Gill.

"Where are you going?" He turned and looked after him, narrowing his eyes.

"Just for a walk," he answered wistfully. Gill trotted after him, crossing his arms. "You know, I liked it better when I was the one in the clinic."

Bo's eyes trailed the pavement, and he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"I prefer when neither of you are," Gill retorted. "But apparently that's a bit much to ask."

"Just ask Elli to be your girlfriend already," he mumbled. Gill nearly threw his hands in the air, but resorted to thrusting them out in front of him, palms up, eyes wide.

"Bo!" He nearly shouted. "Drop the matter!"

"You like each other," he shrugged. "What's stopping you?"

Nearly fuming with frustration, Gill wrenched back one of his sleeves with an angry fist.

"There!" He snapped. "There's what's stopping me, okay? Do you understand now, Bo? Are you quite finished?"

Bo was silent for a moment, and stopped to stare at the angry blotched scars. But his gaze wasn't in disgust or horror – it was simply there.

"So," he spoke up finally, "because you have a few scars, you're not allowed to like anyone?"

"A few?" He nearly choked. "A few scars? My arms are _horrific, _Bo. They're _vile. _What have I got to offer Elli? I'm hideously disfigured, and I don't have a winning personality to counter that."

"You know Elli," he went on, ignoring Gill's tantrum, "better than I do. Would she really care?"

"She should," he looked away, letting his sleeve drop. "She saw them already. She should care."

Bo looked a bit surprised at this, but it didn't deter further questioning.

"What did she say?"

"She…" he broke off with a flustered sigh, knowing where Bo was going to take this. "She said they don't change anything. But they do! Before you cut in with you're _golden advice, _they do."

"So," he began softly, "what you're saying is, _you _have a problem with your scars, not Elli."

"No, that's not what I am saying."

"But it is," he insisted. "She said she didn't care, but you won't let her treat you like they're not there. So really it's you who lets them hold you back – just like how you never wear short sleeves."

"Town Hall is cold."

"Okay," he said sarcastically, but didn't press the issue. "I don't care what you wear, honestly, Gill. It'd just be nice to see you do something other than work and worry, for once. I'm not saying you have to marry her or anything. Just give her a chance."

Gill was silent, not sure how to react. Half of him desperately wanted to believe that Bo was right, and that these terrible scars didn't make him any less than what he could be without them. But there was still a portion of him laughing bitterly at his friend's words, and how ridiculously untrue they were.

"I came here to check on you and Luke," he said, for what must have been the third or fourth time that night. "I intend to do just that."

He turned around and started off back towards the clinic, Bo trailing slowly after him.

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Please review!


	9. Winter's Starry Night

Another update? What! I'm a roll guys! Please review! Oh, and in advance - I apologize for the incredibly SAPPINESS of this chapter, but hey, it was a romantic festival, after all! I figured I could get away with it.

**Disclaimer; I don't own Harvest Moon, but I DID just buy Animal Parade! Reviewers, tell me what you think of it if you've played it too!**

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Everything was very, very white. He kept his eyelids mostly closed to block out the blinding light, but when his eyes detected some movement and he tried to open them further to decipher it, he found that he could not. He felt very tired, and as he went to move his arms to prop himself into a sitting position, he found them merely lolling around at his sides, responding to his body's command, but not properly. He began trying to shift his legs, and could hear the rustle of sheets beneath him.

Where the hell was he? Why the hell couldn't he move right? Why the hell was it so _bright?_

The movement near him started making sounds, which alarmed him. His arms twitched violently in his attempt to shield his face. He jammed his eyes shut and tried to block out the noise, but it was still there, getting louder. A second set of sounds assaulted his mind, and he began shaking his head back and forth.

Something about his face felt wrong. He tried to speak, but a series of mumbles was all he could produce. His mouth wouldn't move. His jaw seemed stuck.

Panic began to rise in his body, and he felt the immense need for some sort of release. But his body wouldn't move properly and his voice wouldn't let him shout, and he was confused and it was so bright and where _was_ he –

Something touched him. He flinched harshly, but after a moment more the feeling became comforting. Someone had his hand. He felt himself relaxing. His panic faded. He squeezed it weakly, and it tensed in return.

Luke let out a tiny sigh.

* * *

Luke was still incredibly drowsy from the surgery, but at least he was home in his own bed. Bo was immensely relieved by this. If the doctor was going to let you go home, you had to be on the road to recovery, right?

You couldn't tell from his outside appearance, but when he was awake enough to smile, Bo knew he'd be seeing several wires across Luke's teeth. The damaged jaw had to be wired shut for a few weeks – and to be honest, Bo wasn't sure how Luke was going to handle that. Chase had already whipped up several batches of shakes, since Luke's diet was going to be extremely limited. After all, you couldn't eat most things without chewing.

Dale was outside, picking up the slack that Luke would now be leaving them. Bo knew he should be out helping, but he didn't feel right leaving Luke alone in the house. What if he needed something? Or what if he was confused by the drugs that had yet to fully wear off and hurt himself somehow? He had been restless enough back at the hospital when he had first begun to come around.

A few moans from the bedroom were enough to rouse Bo from his seat in the kitchen and land him right at Luke's bedside, where the other was tossing and turning, trapped beneath his own blanket. Bo grabbed a fist full of it and tore it away, waiting a moment for Luke to calm down.

"Luke," he murmured, gently tilting the other's face towards his. "Hey. It's Bo."

Luke's honey-colored eyes were half open, but when they caught sight of him something seemed to click in them. Did he recognize him?

"Remember me?" He chuckled softly, and Luke seemed to use more effort than usual to pull his arm over himself and rest his hand on Bo's. Bo leaned in and placed a hesitant kiss on Luke's cheek, but the injured one didn't seem to protest.

"I should probably go help Dale," he whispered. "I'll come and check on you soon, okay?"

But when he tried to pull away, Luke's grip on him with his single hand tightened. Bo smiled softly.

"Okay, okay," he murmured. "But Dale's not going to be happy about doing all that work himself."

Climbing into the single-person bed next to Luke, Bo reached over and picked the blanket off the floor, tossing it over the two of them. Luke let out a sigh and pressed closer to the blonde. The two were soon drifting off, becoming more and more relaxed until they had both drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Gill hugged his arms to his sides and let out a chilly breath. The air crystallized in front of him, his exhale clearly visible before him. The weather on the island had been erratic this season – he could remember the torrent of snow cascading outside when Luke had tried to bake in Dale's kitchen not too long ago. After the minor blizzard had passed, the snow had melted and left fall weather to hang in the air – brisk, cold air and falling temperatures, but nothing too much. Now the snow had returned, and it showed no signs of subsiding this time around.

He extended a shaky hand – from cold, or nerves, he wasn't sure – and knocked a few times on the door in front of him. Great Goddess, this was an awful idea.

"Gill?"

Elli wasn't wearing her one of her usual dresses, and Gill assumed it was too cold for that. Instead, she wore a white blouse and a long, thick looking blue skirt, with a light jacket tossed over. Her face betrayed a look of confusion.

"Hey," he greeted, hoping his cheeks weren't a burning red.

"Why are you here?" She asked in a genuinely puzzled way. "I thought you were angry."

"No," he clarified, "not at you, anyway. Why aren't you down by Aran's tree?"

"For the Starry Night Festival?" She asked, hugging her arms around herself, the chilly wind stealing into the building. "Oh, I never go."

Gill found this to be a bit of a surprise. Elli was sweet, and as much as he never admitted these things, she was very pretty. How had no one ever asked her before?

"Well," he began, and he would have crossed his fingers would she not been able to see him do so. "Would you like to go with me?"

The brunette's eyes widened a tiny bit, and she brushed back a tiny piece of her short hair.

"Really?"

"Of course," he answered, biting back his automatic answer of '_who else would I go with?' _- which probably didn't sound very kind, or give the kind of message he was hoping for.

_Ha, _he thought to himself, s_o there, Luke. I _can _bit back my 'selfish' comments._

"Yeah," she muttered, and then giggled a bit. "Of course I'll go with you. Let me get my jacket –"

"Here," he had his own off in one quick swoop and held it out to her. "Have mine."

Elli stared at him in surprise for a moment, but her look soon melted to one of faint gratitude.

"Thanks," she said, slipping it on. Gill, ignoring his sudden drop in temperature, took her hand unexpectedly and turned away from the house, towards the direction of the romantic festival.

_How's that, Luke? I don't need your_ _matchmaking skills after all._

He would have to remember to brag about this later.

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The night wore on, the dark sky speckled with the light of stars. A short-haired brunette was bundled in a slightly large jacket, snuggled against a blonde young man. The two of them stared at the scenery, every now and then laughing at something the other had said. The brunette glanced over, and in one swift motion planted a tiny kiss on the other's cheek. The boy froze, and a tiny blush of embarrassment came to his face. Thoughts of returning the kiss crossed his mind, but he didn't dare.

He had already gotten Elli to attend the festival with him at all – there was only so far luck could go, and he wasn't going to push his any farther tonight.

Meanwhile, another pair was curled up together, but this time within the warmth of a heated house. The freckled one got to his feet, laughing at the other's loudly growling stomach, off to grab a shake to silence it. As soon as he had turned his back, the other young man slapped a hand across his back, and he felt something stick. He let out a sigh and proceeded into the other room anyway. No doubt his more immature companion had planted some sort of sign on his back with 'kick me' scrawled on it, or something else alike to five-year-old humor.

Opening the fridge, he reached back with one hand to snatch the note from his shirt, and brought it into eye view. The refrigerator door fell slowly shut, and he did nothing to keep it open as a tiny grin crossed his face at the note's words.

_I love you! _

Without a word, he stuffed the piece of paper into his pocket, his ridiculous smile still stuck.

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Review guys!


	10. Truth Be Told

Next chapter we'll hear more from Gill and Elli, I promise. This chapter focuses a lot on very few characters, so sorry for that - but it had to happen, to clear some things up.

**Disclaimer; I do not own Harvest Moon.**

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Luke, though he was locked into perpetual silence, looked very, very uncomfortable. Bo nudged him with his elbow to reassure him that he wasn't alone, but that didn't fade the look of apprehension on his face.

He, Luke and Dale were walking up to the clinic to finally get Luke's jaw unwired. It had only been a few weeks, which was apparently quick according to Jin. The past few weeks where Luke had been forcibly mute, he had avoided Dale at all costs. They had hardly crossed paths, in fact, and it was easy for Luke to get away with as he stowed away indoors while Dale worked outside. But now Dale was right in front of him, and soon he would be in talking condition again. This meant he would have a lot of explaining to do.

Dale, like any good parent, had been immediately concerned for his son's safety. But now that Luke was in the clear, the anger and frustration was also settling in. He had already confronted Bo about it, and ranted at how he was going to get the full story out of Luke once he could. Bo counted Luke almost lucky that his words had been trapped behind wires for the past few weeks – at least he had gotten to postpone an angry Dale.

Bo slipped his hand out of his pocket and nudged at Luke's. The other took his without looking, eyes still dragging across the snow-ridden ground. The clinic lay just ahead.

* * *

"Luke."

The door clicked shut behind them, and Luke cringed.

"I can explain," he whispered, the first three words he had said since freedom from those awful binding wires. His jaw still ached enormously, but he would rather deal with that than his father, who was removing his coat after dismissing Bo from the kitchen. Luke wished he had let the blonde stay – at least then he would have had _some_ form of support.

"I'm not mad at you."

Luke had to replay the sentence several times in his mind before it clicked. His father wasn't angry with him? Not after he had let his mother onto the island where they lived, offered her a place to stay, and kept her hidden from him? After he had fallen for everything she said even though she had never said a truthful word to him since her and his father's divorce?

"You're not?" It still felt strange to have words leaving his mouth.

"No," Dale sighed, sitting heavily at the table and undoing his boots. "I should've known you'd want to believe whatever your mother told you."

Though he was glad his father wasn't angry, something about that sentence just made him feel stupid.

"I shouldn't have," he admitted, keeping his eyes everywhere but on the man talking to him.

"It's not your fault," he sighed again, closing his eyes for a long moment before tossing his thick boots to the side. "I just want to know what happened to you, that's all."

"You know what happened though," he answered, not really eager to explain how he had fallen right into his own mother's trap.

"I don't. You know I don't," his tone was growing louder and sterner, "all I know is my _son – you, _were at the Falls, looking like the mess you did! And excuse me if I want to know what happened!"

Luke was silent for a second. "Okay. Sorry."

Dale sighed for a third time and smacked his hands to his head. "No, it's not your fault, Luke. You don't have anything to be sorry for. Just tell me what happened. Please, and maybe I can get some peace of mind about all this."

"Okay," he started before his father lost his patience again. However, he still didn't sound the least bit confident. "I will. Gill asked me to meet him at the Sundae Inn at eight, so I told him I would. But I showed up early, and there was a guy there who said he'd talked to Mom."

He paused, and waited for some sort of reaction from his father towards even the word 'Mom'. But he received none, so he continued, leaning backwards onto the counter and gripping it with his hands for support and distraction.

"We talked, and he said she wanted to meet me at Caramel Falls, and I told him I'd go with him. I figured I could make it up to Gill later for skipping out on him."

Luke hadn't even thought about how terrible that was. He had skipped out on one of his best friends to get beaten to a pulp by his mother's cronies. What kind of friend was he?

But he hadn't known. He had thought his mom had changed.

"So we went down to the Falls, and there were two more guys there, and Mom wasn't around. So I asked what was going on, and they told me I had to learn a lesson."

He laughed for a second, but it seemed to disturb his father, and so he stopped. It wasn't like the situation was funny. It was just…his natural reaction. He could either laugh or be upset about it, and it was all still too surreal and strange in his memory to bother getting angry.

"What do you mean?" His father inquired as Luke hesitated to continue.

"I don't know," he shrugged, a grim smile still half-plastered to his face. "It's hard to explain this part, Dad. I mean, you already know and everything, but it's…you know, awkward."

The older man simply waited, stony-faced, but Luke still couldn't quell the chuckles that kept escaping from him.

"I don't know how they would know," he went on, "or, I mean, I guess Mom told them, but I don't know how she found out. Apparently I'm a fag, and that can be beaten out of a person."

His laughter picked up again, but his father looked frustrated and angry.

"How can you laugh?" He snorted, throwing up his palms. "It isn't funny, Luke. People have died over these things."

"What things?" He asked. "Being called fags? Not on this island, Dad. We're not in a big, dangerous city. Mom's gone now and so are those guys, so it's fine. I'm alive, and all I really have are some bruises and a sore jaw to show for it."

"That doesn't make it okay, Luke!" He burst, but Luke could tell this rage wasn't directed at him. "We have to find those men, you can't just laugh this off."

"Dad, it doesn't bother me that three guys beat the shit out of me," he put bluntly, and his choice of words immediately caught his father's attention. But before the larger man could reprimand him for swearing, he continued. "It just bothers me that my own mom told them to."

His father's tirade fell silent, and his angry expression melted.

"Luke."

"It's fine, Dad," he brushed off, stepping away from the counter. "That's all that happened anyway. Can I go now?"

He looked hesitant, but waved him on, excusing him. Luke headed immediately for his own room, escaping the tension of the kitchen.

"Hey."

Bo was lying on his bed, twiddling his fingers.

"What's wrong?" He raised an eyebrow. Bo had a look on his face like he was worried about something. "What, were you listening to me and Dad talk? I'm fine by now, you know."

"No," Bo began, sitting up. "Well, yes, but that's not what's wrong."

"Well, what is it?"

Bo's blue eyes looked troubled as he began to fiddle with his shirt.

"You know how your mom sent those guys after you because of us?" He looked up, waiting for a response. Luke' forehead furrowed as his mind turned.

"Bo," he said, crossing his arms, "you'd better not be blaming yourself for this just because –"

"It is my fault, Luke," he confessed, "_I_ told your mom that you're gay."

Luke didn't respond for a second, really not sure how he should feel. A flurry of emotions slowly built up in his chest – a mixture of confusion and betrayal most prominent.

"Why?" Was the only thing that fell out of his mouth.

"I was mad at you," Bo explained. "Remember how you told me that we needed a break or whatever, and your mom had got you thinking? You hadn't said anything like that until she had showed up. I was pissed that she was going to ruin everything without even having to try."

"So," he gave the slightest bitter chuckle, "you gave her a reason to try."

Bo was silent for a moment. "I guess I did." He brought a hand up to his freckled face briefly before letting it fall back again. "Look, I'm really sorry, Luke. I shouldn't have said anything to her, even if she did turn out to be the same as she always has been anyway. I just…I knew it was going to go badly for you, and I couldn't stand that you were falling for everything she said so easily. Everything was my fault, even you ending up in the clinic. I'm sorry."

Luke didn't say anything. Instead, he took a few steps forward and pulled Bo to his feet by his hands. Bringing his hand up to place a thumb and forefinger on Bo's chin, he gently guided him in for a single soft kiss.

"I'm not mad at you," he laughed softly. "Besides, if you hadn't said something to her she might have actually convinced me that I was doing something wrong."

"I thought you would be once you knew," he chuckled back, but it was more one of disbelief.

"Of course not," he answered. "It's too hard to stay mad at you. Plus, didn't you read my note?"

"What note?" Bo's blue eyes clouded in confusion.

"You know," he chuckled, "the one I slipped you when I still had my wires in. I stuck it on your back."

Bo's lips split into a dopey grin and he barely blushed. "Yeah, what about it?"

"Well, it was true," he smiled, leaning in for another quick peck between words. "In case you didn't believe me at the Falls that day."

"You were delirious at the Falls."

"Yeah, well," he laughed, decorating the other young man's face with more soft kisses. "I'm sane now, and I'm still backing it up."

Bo laughed lightly, entwining his fingers with his.

"As sane as you'll ever be."

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